Tuna with Soy-Infused Butter over Ginger Garlic Grits

1 lb Tuna, cut into 1-2-inch cubes
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 Tbsp soy sauce
Toasted sesame seeds
1Tbsp fresh cilantro or parsley, minced

Melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet until frothy. Tip the tuna cubes into skillet and arrange in a single layer. Sprinkle with half the coriander powder. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes, just until the tuna becomes opaque around the edges. Carefully turn each chunk over. Distribute the soy sauce in-between the tuna chunks and shake the pan to mix things up. Sprinkle tuna with the remaining coriander powder and cook another minute. Remove from heat and place tuna cubes on top of a mound of creamy grits or polenta. Spoon a bit of the sauce around the polenta and sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro.

Cook's note: I use Trader Joe's frozen tuna chunks for a fast weeknight preparation of this dish, and I have to say it is really very good!

Ginger Garlic Grits

2 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch fresh ginger
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1 Seranno chili or jalapeño pepper, diced, or 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
3-1/4 cups water
3/4 cups white hominy grits
1/2 tsp salt

In a medium pot, sauté the garlic, ginger, shallot and pepper for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the water and bring to a boil. Stir in the grits and salt and return to a boil. Reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook about 13-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Raspberrry Pomegranate Chicken Wings

1 dozen wings, trimmed and split
1/2 lemon quartered

Sauce:
4 Tbsp butter (1/2 stick, cut up)
1/4 cup Tabasco sauce, or other favorite hot sauce
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp cumin powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1 Serrano chili or Jalapeño pepper, minced

Preheat oven to 400F. Bring wings to room temperature (or the butter will gel on very cold wings). Stir all sauce ingredients together in a glass bowl and microwave for 10-second intervals with stirring, until butter melts. Toss together with wings in a large bowl, and lay out on a baking pan sprayed with a bit of oil. Bake for 10 minutes. Baste with sauce and bake another 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 350F and turn wings over. Bake another 10-15 minutes until cooked through and browned. Serve with lemon wedges.

Cook's note: Pomegranate molasses is a sweet-sour reduction of pomegranate juice used extensively in Middle Eastern cuisines. It almost has balsamic vinegary quality with a robust aromatic flavor.

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms with Feta

4 whole large Portobello mushroom caps
8 oz Feta cheese, flavored varieties are a plus!
2 cloves garlic, pressed through a press
about 1/2 cup olive oil

Heat a (charcoal or gas) grill. Distribute the garlic about the fins of the mushrooms and douce the mushroom caps evenly with a good bit of olive oil to moisten well. Grill fin-side down for 5 minutes. Flip and continue grilling for 5 more minutes. Top with crumbled Feta cheese and grill another 2-3 minutes, covered.

Swai Fillet with Roasted Veggies and Feta

Swai is becoming more and more common in the States and I think it is just a fantastic white fish. It is much more delicate that a Catfish, but moister than Tilapia (both favorite fish of mine!). My wife, who really dislikes American Catfish, really liked Swai.
1 large ripe tomato, cored, diced and drained
1 large red pepper, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
1 jalapeno or serano chili pepper, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot minced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large Swai fillets, or 3 Tilapia fillets, about 1.5 lb
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Heat oven to 450F. Toss everything but the cheese and the fish with the olive oil in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Turn out onto a rimmed jelly roll baking pan. Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes. Tip half the veggies into a baking dish large enough to hold the fish in a single layer. Spread evenly on the bottom. Turn oven down to 400F. Place fish fillets on top of veggies and scatter remaining veggies on top of fish. Next, scatter the cheese on top of everything. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through.

You can do many different fish fillets and veggies: here is Sole on Roasted tomatoes, leeks and artichoke hearts. Treat in same manner as above.

Chicken Saag

3 large ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
2 Tbsp love oil
2 10-oz bags fresh spinach
1 large onion, diced
8 boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1 jalapeño or Serrano pepper, minced
1 tsp turmeric
1 Tbsp favorite garam masala
1 tsp fenugreek powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 stick cinnamon, or 1/2 tsp powder
1 can coconut milk

Heat oven to 450F. Toss the tomatoes together with the olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper, and spread out in a large rimmed jelly roll baking pan. Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss spinach with a few tablespoons of water in a large pot, and steam until well wilted, about 10 minutes. While the veggies are cooking, heat a bit of canola oil in a Dutch Oven or Pot and sauté the onions for about 10 minutes, until softened and just beginning to brown. Remove onion from pot and set aside in a bowl.

Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the chicken to the pot with a dash more oil if necessary. Brown the chicken for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the garlic, ginger and spices, and cook another 3-5 minutes, until very fragrant. Add the coconut milk and stir well. Squeeze most of the water from the spinach (I wring it in a clean kitchen towel), and chop coarsely. Stir spinach into the chicken mixture, cover and heat through for another 15-20 minutes to meld all the flavors.

Top with fresh cilantro if desired. Serves 6.

Cooks's note: if you don't have all these Indian spice powders, you could substitute 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite high quality curry powder for the turmeric, garam masala, fenugreek and coriander, and arrive at a very nice result as well.

Pan Seared Duck Breast with Mango Chutney and Fresh Apricot

4 boneless duck breasts
4 fresh apricots, peeled, pitted and sliced
8-oz jar mango chutney
2 Tbsp butter

Remove duck breasts from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Preheat broiler. Melt the butter in a small pan and fold together the mango chutney and the apricots in the pan. Simmer on low while you tend to the duck. Meanwhile, score the skin on the duck breast on a bias, about 3/4-inch apart so that breast does not curl up when cooking. Salt and pepper both sides. Heat a skillet to high heat and place breasts skin-side down in a bit of olive oil. Immediately turn the heat down to medium. Sauté the duck breasts for 7-8 minutes. Flip and cook second side for another 8-10 minutes. Remove breasts from pan and allow to sit 3-5 minutes covered with foil. Slice on a bias into 4-5 slices and plate, topped with chutney-apricot mixture.

Serves 4.

Mahi Mahi Baked with Pecans and Mushrooms

16 oz fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 lb Mahi Mahi cut into bite-sized pieces
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 red onion, finely diced, about 1/4 cup
palmful fresh parsley

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat oven to 375F. Saute the mushrooms in a large skillet with just a touch of olive oil, until they release their juices. Brown them ever so slightly, and set aside in a large bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients together with the mushrooms and turn into an oiled medium casserole dish. Toss the remaining Panko crumbs with the olive oil, and top the fish mixture with the crumbs. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly, the fish is just cooked through, and the crumbs are just browned.

Cook's Note: Different fish can be used for this - I like Trader Joe's frozen Mahi Mahi pieces, which work very well indeed.

Lentil Couscous Salad with Toasted Pecans

1 can lentils, drained, or 2/3 cup lentils, cooked
1 cup couscous
2 Tbsp bulgur
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large ripe tomato, diced and drained
1 cucumber quartered lengthwise, seeded and finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
Palmful fresh parsley, minced
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup walnut oil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander

Set oven to 400F. Bring the water to a boil in a small pot and add the salt, olive oil, couscous and bulgur. Stir, cover and remove from heat. Let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile spread pecans on a rimmed baking pan. Bake for 3-5 minutes, stir, and bake another few minutes, just until nuts are fragrant. Be careful not to burn the pecans! Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Mix remaining salad ingredients in a serving bowl. Whisk together the dressing in a small bowl. Gently fluff the couscous mixture and fold into the salad in the bowl. Gently toss the salad with the dressing, and top with the pecans.